Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin launched a sharp attack on the central government over the three-language policy under the National Education Policy (NEP), asserting that the forced adoption of Hindi has "swallowed" over 25 North Indian languages over the years.
Stalin, in a post on X, decried the push for a "monolithic Hindi identity," arguing that it has led to the gradual extinction of ancient mother tongues. "UP and Bihar were never just 'Hindi heartlands.' Their real languages are now relics of the past," he remarked, sharing a letter detailing his concerns.
The DMK government has been at loggerheads with the Centre over the NEP’s three-language mandate, which necessitates the inclusion of Hindi in school curricula. Stalin, a staunch advocate of linguistic diversity, asserted that "Hindi is the mask and Sanskrit is the hidden face" in this ongoing push for language imposition.
The Tamil Nadu CM further criticized the notion that Hindi is the "only unifying language of the nation," calling it a deliberate attempt to erase linguistic diversity. He listed several North Indian languages now "gasping for survival," including Bhojpuri, Maithili, Awadhi, Braj, Bundeli, Garhwali, Kumaoni, Magahi, Marwari, Malvi, Chhattisgarhi, Santhali, Angika, Ho, Kharia, Khortha, Kurmali, Kurukh, and Mundari, among others.
Stalin credited the century-old Dravidian movement for safeguarding Tamil and its rich cultural heritage. "More than 25 native North Indian languages have been destroyed by the invasion of hegemonic Hindi-Sanskrit languages. The Dravidian movement created awareness and led various agitations to protect Tamil," he stated.
He accused the BJP-led Centre of systematically suppressing Indian languages under the guise of national unity and using education as a tool for centralisation. "If there is no respect for linguistic diversity, where is the much-touted 'Indian unity'?" Stalin questioned.
Stalin also highlighted the alleged neglect of Tamil in central government institutions. He pointed out that Tamil teacher positions remain vacant in Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV) schools across Tamil Nadu. Referring to an August 5, 2021, response from Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, he noted that the Centre had admitted there was no provision for appointing teachers for regional languages in KV schools. "This is the BJP government’s so-called concern for Tamil," Stalin remarked.
Stalin reaffirmed Tamil Nadu’s commitment to its two-language policy, enacted decades ago under the leadership of C. N. Annadurai (Anna), to resist the imposition of Aryan culture in the state. He urged the younger generation to revisit history to understand the "deception of today’s Union rulers."
Declaring that Tamil Nadu would not adopt the three-language policy, Stalin asserted, "Our two-language policy will remain intact. There is no space in Tamil Nadu for language imposition."
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